As our man Michael Gilchrist likes to tweet, “Yes Yes.” For a variety of reasons—the excitement of the kids, the building of relationships that should last well into successful professional careers, the always fly custom SLAM uniforms—High School All-American shoot day has become one of my favorite work experiences of the year. This year had the added excitement/stress of a cover shoot you should have all seen by now, but that was more of a one-off experience. Getting the best high school players in a room to hang out and pose in hard-earned SLAM jerseys is becoming a tradition that I love.

For the fourth straight year, and due largely to the help of the Jordan Brand Classic Event Director Kevin Foley, we got the kids on the Thursday of Jordan Brand Classic week. This year was in Charlotte, but the vibe was the same: happy kids celebrating the honor as their decorated high school careers wind down.

This year’s six-man first team is comprised of, from left to right in the first photo below, Gilchrist, Austin Rivers, Anthony Davis, Brad Beal, Quincy Miller and Marquis Teague. Congrats again, fellas!

Please check out the entire gallery for photos of them in casual gear. As for all the great product, the SLAM unis were made by Shirts & Skins, and the off-court apparel supplied by Jordan Brand. Huge thanks to both companies.

If it’s early April, that means it must be about that time again. Time to see how the USA stacks up against the rest of the World out on the basketball court.

For high school hoops fans, avid and recreational alike, the Rose Garden figures to be the place to be this weekend considering the 2011 Junior National Select Team will be taking on the World Select Team at the 14th annual Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, OR.

Make no mistake, Team USA will be tested from start to finish.

The World Select Team is absolutely loaded with talent. And some of the names you might have heard of, Kentucky-bound Kyle Wiltjer for one. The Canadian plays his high school ball at Jesuit in nearby Portland, OR and is one of the more high-profile players around.

Another concern for Team USA is Kevin Pangos, also a Canadian who is heading to Gonzaga, where he’ll play point guard for the Bulldogs. Lastly, a pair of 7-footers, Brazilian Lucas Riva Noguiera and Przemyslaw Karnowski from Poland, could also cause problems.

That said, let’s take a look at the roster for Team USA.

Austin Rivers | 6-3 | G | Winter Park (FL) | 2011

Son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, this kid continues to emerge from the shadows of his famous father to forge his own identity. The younger Rivers does it all, just about whenever he wants, mind you. His jumper extends well beyond the three-point arc. Putting the ball on the floor isn’t a problem either. Rivers, heading to Duke, rebounds, distributes and defends too.

Brad Beal | 6-3 | G | Chaminade Prep (MO) | 2011

Leave him open out on the perimeter, and chances are Beal will make you pay each and every time for the mistake. Rest assured, the World Select Team is well aware of this sharpshooter heading to Florida. Beal, however, is not a selfish player. If the defense is cheating, he is savvy enough to find the open man underneath the basket. Big men love playing alongside him.

Rakeem Christmas | 6-9 | F | New Church Academy (MD) | 2011

His game is East Coast, no doubt. He will fit in well once he arrives on campus over at Syracuse. In the meantime, Christmas has some unfinished business to attend to, and in all likeliness, that business will take place down in the low block, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. He goes after rebounds with reckless abandon and challenges every shot in his in his vicinity.

Anthony Davis | 6-10 | F | Perspectives Charter (IL) | 2011

Right around this time last year, Davis was not considered as one of the country’s premier players. Far from it, in fact. Fast forward to present day though, and he’s the talk of the town, one of the nation’s top prospects heading to Kentucky on a scholarship. Davis will provide a post presence for Team USA so expect to see him get the ball early and often against the World Select Team.

Michael Gilchrist | 6-7 | F | St. Patrick (NJ) | 2011

Most consider him as the nation’s top player. And for all intents and purposes, the distinction is worthy. Gilchrist does a little bit of everything, most of it well, better than his peers. His offensive skill set is polished, both inside and out. When it comes to his mentality, he is relentless as they come. His desire is to be the best at all times and it wouldn’t surprise us if he is against the World Select Team and ends up shining on one of the biggest stages around. Then, it’s off to Kentucky.

James McAdoo | 6-7 | F | Norfolk Christian (VA) | 2011

When talking about players who are fundamentally sound, McAdoo’s name comes to mind. He knows how to play within an offensive set and is equally adept at getting and running in the transition game. Best part about is, the North Carolina commit gives maximum effort on defense as well. The World Select Team figures to have its hand full with McAdoo, just watch.

Marquis Teague | 6-2 | G | Pike (IN) | 2011

Figures to have the ball in his hands quite a bit. And rightfully so, considering he’s one of the top point guards in the nation. Expect him to spell Rivers, at times, perhaps even play alongside his fellow floor general to give Team USA a dynamic backcourt tandem that could end up giving the World Select Team plenty of fits. Teague will be playing his college ball at Kentucky.

Tony Wroten | 6-5 | G | Garfield (WA) | 2011

This kid has the mentality of a power forward wrapped up in the body of a wing. He loves contact — he lives for it — which makes him difficult to deal with once he sets his mind on taking the ball to the basket. Don’t be surprised to see him create a match-up problem and run the show for Team USA from time to time. Wroten will stay close to home and play college ball at Washington.

Adonis Thomas | 6-6 | F | Bishop Melrose (TN) | 2011

He’s in an intriguing prospect because Thomas possess the ideal size to play small forward but lacks in stature to play power forward. Nevertheless, he brings plenty to the table, specifically speaking, quickness and athleticism. Those are things you just can’t teach. Thomas, who committed to Memphis is what you call a glue guy, the type of player every team needs.

Quinn Cook | 6-1 | G | Oak Hill Academy (VA) | 2011

With Rivers and Teague in the mix, it might appear as if Cook is the odd man out. That, however, is not necessarily the case. He will be relied on to shut down the point guard for the World Select Team and could end up switching over to harass the shooting guard, at times. Cook won’t hurt Team USA on the offensive end either. The Duke-bound guard can score with the best of them.

The McDonald’s Game is tonight, but the All-Americans have been hard at work all week. Check out BallisLife’s recap of the past two days at practice, featuring Austin Rivers, Adonis Thomas, LeBryan Nash, Mike Gilchrist, Michael Carter-Williams and the rest.

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. (Jan. 16, 2011) – Featuring four, two-time gold medalists and eight gold medal winners overall, USA Basketball today announced the 10 players and coaching staff for the 2011 USA Junior National Select Team, which will compete against the World Select Team in the 2011 Nike Hoop Summit at 7:00 p.m. (PDT) on Saturday, April 9 at the Rose Garden in Portland Oregon.

The Nike Hoop Summit, the country’s premier annual basketball game for high-school age boys, features America’s elite, young athletes playing against a World Select Team comprised of top international players 19-years-old or younger.

Leading the way for the USA will be four players who helped the USA to gold at both the 2009 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and the 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship, including 2010 FIBA U17 World Championship MVP Brad Beal (Chaminade College Prep/St. Louis, Mo.), Quinn Cook (Oak Hill Academy/Bowie, Md.), James McAdoo (Norfolk Christian/ Norfolk, Va.) and Adonis Thomas (Melrose H.S./Cordova, Tenn.).

Rounding out the roster are USA Basketball newcomers Rakeem Christmas (Academy of the New Church/Philadelphia, Pa.) and Anthony Davis (Perspectives Charter/Chicago, Ill.).

The USA will be led by Kevin Sutton, who is in his eighth season as head coach at Montverde Academy in Florida. Sutton has three times served as a USA assistant coach, including the 2009 USA U16 and 2010 USA U17 national teams. He owns a 15-3 record (.833 winning percentage) with the red, white and blue.

“I’m truly honored,” Sutton said. “I’ve been associated with USA Basketball for several years now. My most recent tenure was over the last two years with the U16 and U17 teams, so I’m very familiar with the players that have been selected for this team. USA Basketball really has strengthened the developmental program, and having several players back from those teams will enable us to build upon a camaraderie that’s already been established.

“I have watched past Nike Hoop Summits and I’ve seen a lot of international basketball the past few summers, and that has enabled me to be more of a student of the game,” Sutton continued. “I know that the game will feature a tremendous amount of talent, and it will be very competitive.”

Sutton will be assisted by first-time USA coach Kevin Boyle, who is in his 22nd season as head coach at St. Patrick High School (N.J.), where he currently features USA team member Gilchrist on his roster.

Tickets for the 14th annual Nike Hoop Summit are now on sale, with reserved courtside seats priced $25 and $50 and all other general admission tickets $6 in advance and $10 on game day. Tickets can be purchased through the Rose Quarter Ticket Office, by calling 877-789-ROSE (7673) or by visiting www.rosequarter.com. Additionally, the game will be broadcast nationally by Fox Sports Net and its regional affiliates.

Hey. Not much going on right now, just going to school and getting ready to start practice in November. I’m excited, because I think we’re going to be one of the best teams in the country. I got a shout-out to all my teammates in the next SLAM Magazine, so make sure you check that out in a couple weeks.

I definitely had some players on my team, guys like Brad Beal — I heard he’s in the new SLAM, too — and Kyle Wiltjer, so that was a lot of fun. Who was I impressed by? Definitely Austin Rivers, of course, that’s no surprise. That’s my guy. I like the way James McAdoo plays, Adonis Thomas, my little brother Quinn Cook, DaJuan Coleman, and Jabari Brown — I like his game a lot, too. I pretty much expected everyone to be good. Personally, I went out there trying show off my game, prove I’m one of the best players, but also just trying to have fun.

Then a couple weeks ago, we had this ScoutsFocus tournament down here in Greensboro. It was great. I had a little battle with some kid from down here. I guess you could say his “people” were on the sideline cheering him on, coming at me hard, and we were down eight or nine in the first half.

I think he kinda got caught up in the hype a little bit, but it’s like that sometimes. Me? I love those moments.

What else? I saw The A-Team. That was real exciting, I liked it a lot. Oh, and I saw Takers, too, that’s a real good movie. The guys at SLAM asked me if I’ve ever seen a movie I didn‘t like, but you know I usually get suggestions before I go. Maybe one of these days I’ll go see something bad on purpose so I can give it a review. Oh, and I just got the Boondocks on DVD, too. You know I’m really enjoying that.

Well, that’s about it … what, you thought I forgot about my college list? Well, I got news: I got it down to five. My top five right now is Duke, Oklahoma, Marquette, Baylor and Louisville. My reasons? I mean, Duke is Duke. With Oklahoma, I played for Coach Capel with USA Basketball over the summer, and I think I could definitely play for him. Marquette is close to home — even though I’m down in North Carolina, I’m still a Chicago boy — and I feel like they teach well and go hard. With Baylor, I feel like Coach Drew is a genuine person, and he lets his guys excel. And Louisville, they’ve been recruiting me hard, and Coach Pitino is a Hall of Famer. So that’s where I stand. If your school’s not here, they’re not on my list.

Alright, check me out in the magazine in a couple weeks, and I’ll be back here next month.

*****

Don’t forget: You can keep up Q on Twitter, and check out all his online diaries here.

Check out 6-6, 210-pound Adonis Thomas, arguably the top wing in the nation. The aptly named forward has the championship pedigree: He won a state championship last season as a junior and earned his second gold medal this summer in Germany at the U17 World Championship. While Thomas’ perimeter game needs polish, he’s an elite finisher and shot creator. Will this Memphis native become a hometown hero and﻿ stay in the M? Or will he take his talents to Knoxville to play for the Volunteers?